On Elegance

Pat Sherwood was the flowmaster at my (and Sarah's!) Level 1 seminar nearly eight ago - which essentially means he (among other things) led the weekend's instruction and delivered the key lectures.  His mastery of the concepts and methodology behind CrossFit were intermingled with his sharp sense of humor, fantastic delivery of complex ideas, and wise perspective on the real world applications of the program.  I left the weekend incredibly impressed and enthused, and my respect for Pat and for CrossFit has only since grown over time.

Fast forward to eight years later and the application of what I learned that weekend has now become the work that we love.  And the quest to constantly improve the ways we can help folks become better has enriched my life immensely.  The more I learn, and the more I experience, the more I realize that simplicity often rules - and that the ingenious solutions to our fitness and life challenges are almost always the simplest.    

Pat wrote an article for the CrossFit Journal back in 2013 titled "On Elegance" - a free copy can be found here.  It's brief, and simple, and hits the nail on the head.  It's pretty cool to think of what we do in the gym as "elegant" - and even cooler when we start to appreciate clever simplicity both inside and outside of the gym.

WOD For 09-22-17:

ON A RUNNING CLOCK...

A) From 0:00 - 15:00

With a Partner For QUALITY:

800m Run TOGETHER

Then Split...

600m Row

50 Wall Balls @ pick load

40 Kettlebell Swings @ pick load

30 Burpees

Both partners run together completing 800m.  Then partners split the remaining movement reps evenly, with only one partner working at a time. This is FOR QUALITY not for time, so move with a purpose but prioritize movement integrity in order to prepare/warm the entire body for 5x5 back squats.

B) From 18:00 - 38:00

Back Squat (Week 5, Day 2):

5x5 @ 85%

Across